Because of Her One Vote

    It was a chilly day at school one morning in western Wisconsin. The year was present and the season was autumn and the time was 9:00 sharp. That meant it was time for the Hillview Middle School to elect their school executives.

    For Vice President, the candidates were all in seventh grade. They were Johnny Johnson, Tommy Tomphson, and Will Wilson.

    Unlike the Vice President numbers of options, there were five candidates for President. They were all in eighth grade. Their names were Josefina Johnson, who was Johnny’s sister, Jacqueline Jacque, Jim Jimwardly, Jack Jackson, and Christopher Christopherson. 

    The whole school was voting. Each person who was not a candidate was to cast two votes, one for the Vice President of their choice and one for the President of their choice.

    At this point in time, each candidate for President was to make an inspiring speech that they had prepared.

They were to perform their speeches in alphabetical order, so Christopher Christopherson rose. “My main goal as president would be to add some elective classes like drama for public speaking and dance classes for P.E. and so much more. Thanks, let me know y’all’s thoughts.”

Jack Jackson stood up next. He began with a sort of lazy, bored look on his face. “So, uh, I, uh, want to, uh, you know, uh, improve, uh, the sports’, uh, equipment because, uh, our teams, uh, are good, uh, but the equipment and gyms or fields, uh, could use some, uh, uh, improving?” He finished with a sort of question-like ending. His friends felt bad for Jack; they knew he would be a good president, but he was not a good speaker.

    Jacqueline Jacque was up next. “I just wanted to tell everyone, first of all, thank you for being here today and that I hope to improve our school’s all-around environment, supplies, and anything else people would request. Thank you.” Many people applauded, even until Jim Jimwardlyy stood up. 

He started once the clapping stopped. “I aim to do whatever the school and students want. If they want to have Waterpark Wednesdays or Turtle Tuesdays or Marathon Mondays, I say so be it!” Several people clapped and a few whistled.

Last up was Josefina Johnson. “I don’t have a big speech, but I would like to say that I am open to ideas if and when I become President of our school.” She then sat down.

    All eight candidates, both Vice Presidents and Presidents, sat nervously at the front of the gym, watching each middle schooler place their papers in the boxes they wished, representing the person they were voting for.

    One child in particular named Mully Muldoon was in sixth grade. She wished she could have been a candidate for either Vice President or President of her school, but she had to be in at least seventh grade. That meant all she could do in this matter was vote, but she did not deem voting useful. Especially her single vote to everyone else’s. 

    “Mully,” the teacher, Miss Jane, began, “why aren’t you voting?”

    “Well, Miss Jane, I don’t believe my vote will matter compared to everyone else’s.”

    “Why do you think that, Mully?” Miss Jane inquired softly.

    “I suppose that’s because there’s so many kids, and there’s only one me. I mean, only three kids got to try out for Vice President, and a mere five for President, so that means there’s just so many kids voting. I just don’t think my vote matters,” Mully answered.

    “Oh, Mully, imagine if nobody voted. Then we’d have no Vice President and no President of our school! Wouldn’t that be a shame?” Miss Jane continued.

    “I guess so.” Mully shrugged. “What is your point, Miss Jane?”

    “My point is,” Miss Jane replied, “that your vote does matter. If it wouldn’t, that might as well mean no one’s would, and we’d be nowhere in this election. So go on and cast your ballot.”

    “Ballot?” Mully queried, scratching her head in bewilderment

    “It means your vote,” Miss Jane responded.

    “Oh, all right then.” 

    Mully stood up from her seat and stretched, taking her time to consider who she wanted.

    Well, if I vote for Johnny Johnson, then I should probably vote for his sister too, but I don’t really like her as much as Jaqueline, Mully told herself. But then again, I do like Christopher about the same as Jaqueline. Oh, I just don’t know who to pick! 

    Mully continued to reason with herself whom she should choose as she sipped a small glass of punch that had been prepared by the school cook, Nancy Nann. In between sips and thoughts, she nibbled a chocolate chip cookie that Nancy had also baked for the occasion.

    Finally, the principal, Mr. James Jamesson, announced into a microphone, “The voting will end in five minutes, so everyone, please finish casting your votes and stand by your fellow students and teachers so that you may all return to your classes soon. We will announce the winners at lunchtime. Thank you.”

    Mully was ready now—and that was a good thing too, for she had to vote right then—so she set down her snack and picked up a pencil. She wrote on the piece of paper who she wanted to win for the Vice President, Will Wilson. She had known him for a while, and thought he was responsible and fun. On the President ballot, she wrote Jaqueline Jacque; she stood for the things Mully hoped for.

    She slipped the pieces of paper into the boxes and resumed her seat by Miss Jane and her other classmates.

    Miss Jane whispered into Mully’s ear, “Now are you happy you voted?”

    “I guess so, but stil-” Mully hesitated.

    “I know; you don’t think your vote matters, but just you wait and see,” Miss Jane insisted.

    Mully still had her doubts, but she nodded anyway to show Miss Jane respect.

    “All right!” Mr. Jamesson declared. “The voting is now over; it is 9:20. Please head to class now.”

    With all due respect, Mr. Jamesson, you should have known that none of the students would be able to work before the winner was announced, but oh, well.

    Everyone filed through the gym and hallways to their classrooms, anxiously waiting for the answer to arrive.

*******

    Finally, lunchtime came, and all the students—even Mully—rushed into the gym where they found the candidates who had left class a few minutes earlier.

    Mr. Jamesson cleared his throat. “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please? I am proud to announce that our new Vice President is…Will Wilson!” Everyone applauded—especially Mully! That was who she had voted for! “If you will, everyone, I would like to add that each of the votes were even except one. Johnny Johnson had 28 votes, Tommy Tomphson had 28 votes, and Will Wilson had 29 votes!” Another roar rose up from the crowd. When it quieted, Mr. Jamesson continued. “And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! Our new school President is...Jacqueline Jacque!” Mully whooped with the others. “Again, each candidate for the school President had the same amount of votes except Jacqueline who won by one!”

    Miss Jane nudged Mully.

    Mully’s votes had changed the outcome! If she had not voted, who would have been the new Vice President and President? Mully was exceptionally happy that the candidates she had voted for won because of her one vote!